How common is the surname Clifford?

22,245 people in the United States had the surname Clifford in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 13,879 Americans. It ranked 1,618th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Clifford?

Clark Clifford, American secretary of defense (1906-1998), followed by Doug Clifford.

Where is the surname Clifford most common?

Wikidata records people named Clifford in the United States, the United Kingdom and Belgium and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Clifford?

Clifford is /ˈklɪfəɹd/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Clifford getting more or less common?

More common. 21,974 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 22,245 in 2010, up 1.2%.

Is Clifford also a first name?

Yes. Clifford is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Clifford

An English place surname, carried by 22,245 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈklɪfəɹd/ 2 syllables Soundex C416 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Clifford is more common than 99% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Old English clif (“cliff”) + ford (“ford”), a dweller at the ford by the steep bank.

Clifford is a place surname: taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 22,245 people named Clifford in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 13,879 Americans. That is up 1.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 21,974.

#1,618

rank among US surnames

22,245

people in 2010

7.5

per 100,000 Americans

+1.2%

change since 2000 (was #1,486)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,609	Cuellar	22,324	13,830
#1,610	Steward	22,318	13,834
#1,611	Winn	22,316	13,835
#1,612	Gary	22,310	13,839
#1,613	Zhao	22,301	13,844
#1,614	Sewell	22,294	13,849
#1,615	Browne	22,289	13,852

Who is named Clifford

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

89% of people named Clifford identified as white (not Hispanic), 3.7% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 89%
Black (not Hispanic) 3.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.8%
Two or more races 1.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Cliffords

13 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Clark Clifford
American secretary of defense (1906-1998)
Doug Clifford
American musician, born 1945
Ruth Clifford
American actress (1900–1998)
Michael R. Clifford
American army officer and astronaut (1952–2021)
Nathan Clifford
American politician (1803-1881)
Steve Clifford
American basketball coach, born 1961
Linda Clifford
American singer, born 1948
William Clifford
Actor and screenwriter (1877-1941)
Hugh Clifford
British colonial administrator (1866-1941)
Camille Clifford
Belgian-born stage actress and model (1885-1971)
Kathleen Clifford
American actress (1887-1962)
James Clifford
American historian, born 1945

Notable Cliffords come mostly from the United States (10), the United Kingdom (1) and Belgium (1).

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Clifford come from?: From Old English clif (“cliff”) + ford (“ford”), a dweller at the ford by the steep bank.
How common is the surname Clifford?: 22,245 people in the United States had the surname Clifford in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 13,879 Americans. It ranked 1,618th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Clifford?: In the 2010 Census, 89% of people named Clifford identified as white (not Hispanic), and 3.7% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Clifford?: Clark Clifford, American secretary of defense (1906-1998), followed by Doug Clifford.
Where is the surname Clifford most common?: Wikidata records people named Clifford in the United States, the United Kingdom and Belgium and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Clifford?: Clifford is /ˈklɪfəɹd/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Clifford?: Clifford is a place surname, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.
Is the surname Clifford getting more or less common?: More common. 21,974 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 22,245 in 2010, up 1.2%.
Is Clifford also a first name?: Yes. Clifford is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.